Lung healthy foods can help you build resistance to diseases and may even help improve chronic respiratory conditions. According to recent studies, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease tend to have lower amounts of carotenoids and/or retinol, derivatives of vitamin A. Retinol is another name for vitamin A. Carotenoids are pigments found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The body changes them to retinol. The studies went a step further than just showing low concentrations of vitamin A occur in people with lung disease. They actually administered vitamin A to people with mild lung disease and a placebo to a control group. After 30 days, the results showed lung function improvement in the men that took the vitamin supplement.

Does this mean that you simply need to take a pill and life will be good again? The answer is no. You can overdose on vitamin A and it causes a variety of problems. However, if you change your diet to include an abundant amount of foods with beta-carotene or carotenoids, your body converts the amount of vitamin A it requires to help all parts. You can't overdose, however, you might turn orange since carotenoids are pigments and the skin holds the excess pigment. Look for beta-carotene in orange foods such as carrots, pumpkins, red chili peppers and greens such as romaine lettuce and kale.

Besides Vitamin A, there are many other lung healthy foods to help you live healthier. Foods containing omega-3 fatty acids also give benefits to the lungs. These fatty acids help reduce inflammation, including the inflammation that occurs in patients with asthma. The omega-3 fatty acids also help promote cardiovascular health in addition to lung health. You'll find omega-3 fatty acids in foods such as fish, nuts and sprouted radish seeds.

A study done at the University of Nottingham in the UK showed that people with higher levels of vitamin C had better lung function. After adjusting, the study to take into consideration those that smoked, the researchers found that people with higher levels of vitamin C had a lower decline in lung function than those with lower levels. Guava, rose hips, red peppers, strawberries, black currents, oranges and lemons are all good sources of vitamin C.

If your thinking about quitting smoking or just recentlly quit you need to detox your lungs. One of the best programs is the one by Bill Renolds and Mark Freemond simply called lung detoxification

Introduce as many herbs in your diet as you can. Herbs contain vitamins such as C and A, but they also have other properties that can help you improve your lungs. Garlic and other members of that family help fight lung infection. Oregano and thyme also help the respiratory tract. You'll find that many of the herbs, such as dill contain minerals good for lung function. Dill is an excellent source of magnesium, which is good for lung function.

While you can get many of the vitamins and minerals in multi-vitamins, you cannot get some of the phytonutrients that scientist now are discovering helps our overall health. Even though much research goes into extracting the nutrients and put them in a concentrated form, they find that the substance is not as effective as it is in the fruits and vegetables themselves. One theory is that the benefits come not just from one element, but from the interaction of those found in fruits and vegetables. It only makes sense to improve your overall health too by eating lung healthy foods instead of simply taking a vitamin.